10 Lessons from Phil Ivey

8. Learn from Your Mistakes
When young Ivey first stepped into an Atlantic City poker room he was immediately outclassed, outplayed and generally just beat up by more experienced players. (Among his many mistakes was simply playing every single hand and never folding.) Most of the regulars in he faced were happy to see him show up because he was such an easy mark. That didn’t stop his desire and, as we’ve already seen, Ivey definitely learned from those early blunders.
By the time Ivey hit the professional circuit a few years later, he was the one cool customer.
Casino affiliates are pretty much guaranteed to make mistakes, but if they can actually learn from them, they’ll be in pretty good shape.
9. Be the Best
All right, not everyone can be the best poker player, or casino affiliate, on the planet but that shouldn’t stop you from trying. Ivey is a bit rough around the edges but he definitely strives to be the best and has found plenty of success along the way.
You may not think that you’re able to compete with the big super-affiliates, but that doesn’t mean you can’t dominate your own niche. That may mean forsaking the American poker market in favor of the Kenyan scratch card market. No matter how you do it, you’ve definitely got the potential to be the best at something.
10. Do What You Love
Have you ever heard that expression, “Do what you love and the money will follow”? Well, that seems to be Ivey’s personal motto. The guy is clearly in love with winning; with gambling; and the thrill of the hunt. In his case, that passion for competition has paid off in a big, big way.
On the Web, that same kind of passion is what separates successful affiliates from the other 70% of people who give it a shot. If you can really inject your love and interest into your content, your readers will really notice.